About the SBA.gov website

External links do not constitute an SBA endorsement of the opinions, products or services presented on the external site, or of any sites linked to it.

External links are intended to support SBA’s mission. They are not intended to support private or commercial organizations or businesses. These sites include:

• Organizations engaged in a formal partnership, strategic alliance, or cooperative agreement with SBA, such as SBA Resource Partners and co-sponsors (if to a cosponsor, the link must be to page or website specific to the cosponsored activity)
• Federal, state, local, Tribal, and Territorial government agencies
• In press releases only: News media articles where SBA officials, in their official capacity, or SBA programs are mentioned

SBA.gov staff evaluates all suggested links using the following criteria:

• Is the linked website an official government-owned or supported website?
• Does the linked website provide official government information or services?
• Does the linked website complement existing information, products and services on SBA.gov?
• Is the linked website accessible and applicable to a wide audience?
• Is the linked website’s content relevant, useful, and authoritative for citizens, businesses, and/or government officials?
• Does the linked website’s information appear to be accurate and current?
• Does the information duplicate anything that already exists on the site?
• Does use of the linked website require registration, and if so, is its approach to the collection of personal information consistent with SBA’s privacy and security policies?
• Is the linked website user-friendly?
• For links to SBA event cosponsors: is the web page specifically intended to support the cosponsored activity and is free from product placement?

SBA will not link to:

• Websites that encourage the public to contact members of Congress or other federal officials, as well as state or local officials, on behalf of an Administration position with respect to pending legislation, regulations, policies, appropriations, or ratification actions
• Websites which are primarily commercial in nature (i.e., advertising a product, charging a usage fee, soliciting user information, etc.)
• Websites which violate federal ethics policies or only promote or endorse non-federal products or services
• Websites that are deemed to be misleading, contain unsubstantiated claims, or are determined to be in conflict with SBA’s mission
• Websites which charge a user fee for access
• Websites which exhibit hate, bias, or discrimination and/or promote one political party over another

Section 207(f) of the E-Government Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-347) stipulates that all federal agency public websites identify and post the following mandatory links on major entry points of their sites:

• Agency strategic plan and annual performance plans
• Descriptions of agency organizational structure, mission, and statutory authority
• Information made available under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
• Specific website privacy policies
• USA.gov
• No Fear Act information and data
• Agency point of contact for small businesses as required by the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002
• Other cross-government portals or links required by law or policy

We may link to information in accordance with our linking policy, even if the other website does not link back to SBA. SBA does not routinely engage in reciprocal linking.

Any public or private entity may link to SBA.gov as long as the descriptive words of SBA.gov are accurate and not misleading and do not misrepresent any relationship between the linking site and SBA.gov. Entities may not use the SBA logo as its link.

Advance permission is not required to link to SBA.gov provided these conditions are followed.

Government information on SBA.gov is in the public domain. Public domain information may be freely distributed and copied, but it is requested that in any subsequent use, SBA’s information be given appropriate acknowledgement. When using SBA.gov you may encounter documents, illustrations, photographs, or other information resources contributed or licensed by private individuals, companies, or organizations that may be protected by U.S. and foreign copyright laws. Transmission or reproduction of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use as defined in the copyright laws requires the written permission of the copyright owners. It is your responsibility to identify the copyright owner and obtain permission before making use of this material.

• SBA does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of information contained on a linked website.
• SBA does not endorse the organizations sponsoring linked websites, and we do not endorse the views they express or the products/services they offer.
• SBA cannot authorize the use of copyrighted materials contained in linked websites. Users must request such authorization from the sponsor of the linked website.
• SBA is not responsible for transmissions users receive from linked websites.SBA does not guarantee that outside websites comply with Section 508 (accessibility requirements) of the Rehabilitation Act.

Check SBA.gov’s Privacy policy to learn more about our privacy and security policies.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) continuously strives to make SBA.gov open to everyone. We work to make our website accessible to people with visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive disabilities. Accessibility is an ongoing effort, and we seek solutions to improve our site by providing regular training for the employees creating our documents, writing our content, and building the functionality of our website.

We ensure the accessibility of SBA.gov by:

• Including accessibility in our internal policies
• Requiring our employees to publish accessible documents, including PDFs
• Using formal accessibility quality assurance methods in the development of the site
• Striving to do regular site audits to ensure we’re meeting Section 508 standards
• Providing continual accessibility training for our staff
• Creating content in plain language
• Integrating accessibility into our procurement practices

What laws and standards are we conforming to?

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act is a law that requires any Information and Communication Technology developed, procured, maintained, or used by federal agencies to be accessible for people with disabilities. This includes websites like SBA.gov.

The U.S. Access Board established practical requirements for accessibility as part of Section 508. Version 2.0 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are part of Section 508 requirements and lay out requirements for web designers and developers.

If you have trouble accessing any resources or content on this site, or to file a formal accessibility complaint, please send an email to 508complaints@sba.gov and include:

• The nature of your accessibility issue
• The URL of the page the inaccessible content was found on
• The device and browser you are using to access the website
• The assistive technology you are using, if any
• The preferred format in which you want to receive any materials, and
• Your contact information (email, phone, or address)

Help and feedback

For immediate help, call 202-205-6750.

For questions or comments about the accessibility of any SBA.gov content, please email 508@sba.gov.

Contact SBA for any other questions or comments about our programs or the SBA.gov website.

What laws and standards are we conforming to?

Accessibility of SBA.gov relies on the following technologies to work with the particular combination of web browser and assistive technologies/plugins installed on your computer:

• HTML
• WAI-ARIA
• CSS
• JavaScript

We rely on these technologies for accessibility conformance. SBA websites should be compatible with commonly used assistive technology, including screen readers, basic operating system screen magnifiers, and speech-recognition software.

TTY-based Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS)

Dial 711 to access TRS services.

A TRS communications assistant will then facilitate the call. You will use your text input device to give the assistant the phone number you’d like to reach. Please note that 711 access is not available for Captioned Telephone Service (CTS), Internet Protocol CTS, Video Relay Service (VRS), or Internet Protocol Relay Service (IP Relay Service).

For a detailed list of services supported via TRS, review the FCC TRS information page.

Background on 711

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted 711, instead of a 10-digit state-specific access number, to make using TRS as simple as possible.

TTY-based Telecommunications Relay Services have traditionally allowed people with hearing or speech disorders to use the telephone system via a teletypewriter (TTY) or other communication devices to call persons with or without similar disabilities. State or federal funds pay TRS providers – generally telephone companies –for the costs of providing these services. There is no cost to the TRS user.

Follow the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) flagship accounts

• X
• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• YouTube
• Threads

Follow SBA’s district and regional offices

• X

SBA’s social media pages are moderated channels, meaning all comments posted on SBA’s social media pages will be reviewed for appropriate content. Comments that are off-topic or include abusive or vulgar language, spam, hate speech, personal attacks, advertisements or endorsements of products or similar content will not be posted or will be removed.  SBA reserves the right to determine which comments are acceptable for its social media pages. SBA will, however, post and attempt to comment on legitimate questions regarding SBA’s mission.

While SBA will not be collecting or retaining comments on third-party social media pages in our records, they are public forums, and any information provided in such comments will be publicly available and subject to the privacy policies of the respective social media site. As such, please do not include personal details you do not want available to the general public. If you choose to post personal information, you do so at your own risk. If you have specific questions regarding an SBA program or service that involves details you do not wish to share publicly, please contact the SBA Answer Desk or your local SBA District Office.

Any reference on SBA’s social media pages to a specific product, process, or service does not constitute or imply an endorsement by SBA or the U.S. government of the product, process, or service, or its producer or provider. The views and opinions expressed in any reference do not necessarily state or reflect those of SBA or the U.S. government.

• Linking policy
• Privacy policy
• Social media privacy policies

You are accessing a U.S. government information system, which includes:

• This computer
• This computer network
• All computers connected to this network
• All devices and storage media attached to this network or to a computer on this network 

This information system is provided for U.S. Government-authorized use only. Unauthorized or improper use of this system may result in civil and criminal penalties.

By using this information system, you understand and consent to the following:

• You have no reasonable expectation of privacy regarding any communications or data transiting or stored on this information system. At any time, the government may for any lawful government purpose monitor, intercept, search and seize any communication or data transiting or stored on this information system.
• Any communications or data transiting or stored on this information system may be disclosed or used for any lawful government purpose.
• Your consent is final and irrevocable. You may not rely on any statements or informal policies purporting to provide you with any expectation of privacy regarding communications on this system.
• SBA does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness or completeness of information contained on a linked website.
• SBA does not endorse the organizations sponsoring linked websites, and we do not endorse the views they express or the products/services they offer.
• SBA cannot authorize the use of copyrighted materials contained in linked websites. Users must request such authorization from the sponsor of the linked website.
• SBA is not responsible for transmissions users receive from linked websites.
• SBA does not guarantee that outside websites comply with Section 508 (accessibility requirements) of the Rehabilitation Act.

Any reference obtained from this server to a specific product, process, or service does not constitute or imply an endorsement by SBA or the United States Government of the product, process, or service, or its producer or provider. The views and opinions expressed in any referenced document do not necessarily state or reflect those of SBA or the United States Government.

Neither SBA, the United States government, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, or assumes any legal liability for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information from this server or the links to servers via SBA.gov.

While you visit SBA.gov, we will not collect any personal information about you other than what you provide. We will only use your information for its intended purpose, such as responding to your request for information or joining a webinar. We remind you that if you visit a link outside of SBA.gov, you are subject to the privacy policies of that site.

SBA.gov collects some technical information from you when you visit the site to give you the best possible experience. We use web analytics software (Google Analytics) to explore how visitors interact with the website. This can include where they came from, what they did on the site, and whether they completed certain predetermined tasks while there. The Office of Management and Budget classifies this as Tier 2 usage since it is a multi-session web measurement. (For more information, see OMB memoranda M-10-22 and M-10-23.)

We use generalized data to improve our user interface and content to meet the needs of our customers. This also helps us to track problems, prevent fraud, and improve the effectiveness, security, and integrity of the site. This information does not identify you personally and is only held in accordance with SBA’s data retention policy. For each page that you visit, we collect and store only the following technical information:

• Date and time of access
• URL address of the SBA.gov webpage visited
• Internet domain and IP address used to access our site
• Type of browser and operating system used to access our site (if provided by the browser)
• URL address of the referring page (if provided by the browser)
• Completion or success status of the request for a webpage or other online item
• File size of the webpage visited

This information is only used to help us make the site more useful for you. With this data, we learn about the number of visitors to our site and the types of technology our visitors use. We never track or record information about individuals and their visits. We do not share this data with anyone outside SBA unless necessary for law enforcement purposes.

Cookies are pieces of information that help webmasters understand how users interact with a website. User information in cookies can allow a site to display customized features when that user returns.

There are two types of cookies:

• A session cookie is a line of text stored temporarily in your web browser’s memory cache. Session cookies are not placed on any hard drive and get deleted as soon as you close your browser.
• A persistent cookie saves to a file on your hard drive. The website that set the cookie can use it to remember your past activities when you return to the site.

SBA.gov uses session cookies for some online tools, to pass information from one page to the next while you’re using them.

We use persistent cookies so that Google Analytics can differentiate between new and returning SBA.gov visitors. Persistent cookies remain on your computer between visits to SBA.gov until they expire.

Sometimes, SBA.gov will link to third-party services (like video streaming or event registration) on our site. These sites may set a persistent cookie when you access the content.

By default, persistent cookies and analytics software are automatically used when you visit SBA.gov. If you decide to disable or remove cookies from your browser, though, you will still have access to all information and resources on the site. Learn more about how to disable cookies in your browser.

Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

PII includes personal information that can be used to identify you. You may provide PII to us when you sign up for SBA newsletters, contact our customer support, message a District Office, or fill out a customer satisfaction survey. You are not required to register or provide PII to visit this website.

If you choose to provide PII through the methods described above, we will use it only to help us provide you the information or service you have requested.

SBA.gov uses online forms so users can contact SBA offices, sign up to receive email updates, or register for events. We will only use your information for its intended purpose and will not provide it to any third party unless required by law.

SBA.gov never collects information or creates individual profiles for commercial marketing. We will protect your personal information to the extent permissible under the Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act.

SBA maintains and destroys electronically submitted information according to the:

• Federal Records Act
• National Archives and Records Administration regulations and records schedules
• Privacy Act
• Freedom of Information Act

You can find a discussion of your rights under these laws on SBA’s Freedom of Information Act page.

The E-Government Act requires agencies to analyze how they collect and manage personal information online. These Privacy Impact Assessments must be available to the public.  See SBA’s Privacy Impact Assessments.

Because we care about the safety and privacy of children online, we comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA). COPPA and its accompanying regulations protect the privacy of children using the internet. SBA.gov will never attempt to contact or collect personal information from children under 13.

It is possible that by fraud or deception, we may receive information about children under 13. If we discover this is the case, we will immediately either secure parental consent or delete the information from our servers. To report information submitted about children under 13, please email SBA’s Answer Desk at answerdesk@sba.gov.

SBA monitors network traffic to flag unauthorized attempts to access the site or otherwise cause damage.

Unless it’s necessary for law enforcement purposes, we do not try to identify individual users and their usage habits. We follow the National Archives General Records Schedule rules about deletion of server logs.

Unauthorized attempts to upload or change information on this site may be punishable under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act.

ASBA uses social media websites and tools to publicize our programs and services, and engage with members of the public.

SBA’s privacy policies do not apply to these sites, but they do not forward any personal information they collect unless required for law enforcement purposes.  SBA does not use third-party websites to collect personal information from individuals.  We encourage you to read their policies when deciding whether to use them.

The following are SBA’s official social media sites:

• Facebook | SBA’s Facebook privacy statement and terms of use
• X | SBA’s X privacy statement and terms of use
• YouTube | SBA’s YouTube privacy statement and terms of use
• Instagram | SBA’s Instagram privacy statement and terms of use
• LinkedIn | SBA’s LinkedIn privacy statement and terms of use
• Social Media Comment Policy

SBA.gov contains links to websites of other public and private organizations. When you follow a link to another site, your interactions are no longer protected by our privacy policy. SBA does not necessarily endorse the privacy or security practices and content of sites we link to.

Read more about SBA.gov’s linking policy.

The Office of the Chief Privacy Officer reviewed this policy on September 26, 2023.

Learn more about SBA’s privacy program.

The official website of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is sba.gov. SBA is using the third-party site Facebook as a means to connect and engage with members of the public and share information about SBA in a different format that may be useful or interesting.

If you have any questions, concerns or need additional information, please contact SBA by phone or email:
SBA Answer Desk: 1-800-U-ASK-SBA (1-800-827-5722)
Send emails to: answerdesk@sba.gov
TTY/TRS: 711

Because members of the public may comment or post information on this site, SBA cannot attest to the accuracy of information provided by this site or any other linked site. Using this third-party site does not constitute an endorsement by SBA or any of its employees of the sponsors of the site or the information or products presented on the site. Please be aware that the privacy protection provided on social media and third-party sites that are not a part of the sba.gov domain may not be the same as the SBA Privacy Policy. For practical tips about protecting your personal information online, visit OnGuardOnline.gov.

SBA does not use this site to actively seek personally identifiable information (PII). While users may have been required to submit some PII when registering to use this tool, SBA will not solicit or collect this PII. SBA does not have access to, and will not seek, your registration information unless the information used during registration pre-populates a public profile when interacting with SBA, or if the privacy settings you select allow this display. SBA will only collect information posted to this page that is necessary for the proper performance of official agency functions (ex: responding to a request for information).

Please note, information posted on this site is available to the general public. To protect your privacy and the privacy of others, do not include your full name, phone numbers, email addresses, social security number, case numbers or any other sensitive PII in your comments or responses.

Disclaimer

Posted comments and images do not necessarily represent the views of SBA. External, non-SBA links on this site do not constitute official endorsement on behalf of SBA. While we encourage fans to share thoughts and opinions on the SBA Facebook page, we expect that this will be done in a respectful manner.

SBA does not agree with or endorse the comments individuals may post on our Facebook page. Our goal is to share ideas and information with as many individuals as possible and our policy is to accept the majority of comments made to our profile. We ask you remain “on topic” and post comments relevant to SBA and small business in general. SBA does review comments and a comment, video or photo may be deleted if it contains:

• Hate speech
• Profanity, implied profanity, obscenity or vulgarity
• Sexually oriented content or links
• Defamation to a person or group of people
• Name calling and/or personal attacks
• Comments for which the main purpose is to sell a product or service
• Comments that infringe on copyrights
• Spam comments, such as the same comment posted repeatedly on a profile
• Links to commercial websites
• Other comments that the SBA Social Media Team deems inappropriate

All links posted as comments on SBA posts will be reviewed and may be deleted. Repeated violations of the SBA comment policy may cause the author to be blocked from SBA’s Facebook page.

We understand that social media is a 24/7 medium; however, our moderation capabilities are not. We may not see every inappropriate comment right away, and we are trusting in the maturity of our community to ignore personal attacks and negative speech or respond politely.

Please contact opengov@sba.gov if you have any questions about this comment policy.

The official website of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is sba.gov. SBA is using the third-party site X as a means to connect and engage with members of the public and share information about SBA in a different format that may be useful or interesting.

If you have any questions, concerns or need additional information, please contact SBA by phone or e-mail:
SBA Answer Desk: 1-800-U-ASK-SBA (1-800-827-5722)
Send emails to: answerdesk@sba.gov
TTY/TRS: 711

Because members of the public may mention or post about SBA (@SBAgov), SBA cannot attest to the accuracy of information provided by others on this site or any other linked site. Using this third-party site does not constitute an endorsement by SBA or any of its employees of the sponsors of the site or the information or products presented on the site. Please be aware that the privacy protection provided on social media and third-party sites that are not a part of the sba.gov domain may not be the same as the SBA Privacy Policy. For practical tips about protecting your personal information online, visit OnGuardOnline.gov.

SBA does not use this site to actively seek personally identifiable information (PII). While users may have been required to submit some PII when registering to use this tool, SBA will not solicit or collect this PII. SBA does not have access to, and will not seek, your registration information unless the information used during registration pre-populates a public profile when interacting with SBA, or if the privacy settings you select allow this display. SBA will only collect information posted to this page that is necessary for the proper performance of official agency functions (ex: responding to a request for information).

Please note, information posted on this site is available to the general public. To protect your privacy and the privacy of others, do not include your full name, phone numbers, email addresses, social security number, case numbers or any other sensitive PII in your posts.

Disclaimer

Posts that mention SBA (@SBAgov) do not necessarily represent the views of SBA. External, non-SBA links attached to posts that mention SBA (@SBAgov) do not constitute official endorsement on behalf of SBA.

We understand that social media is a 24/7 medium; however, our moderation capabilities are not. We may not see every post right away, and we are trusting in the maturity of our community to ignore personal attacks and negative speech or respond politely.

Please contact opengov@sba.gov if you have any questions about this comment policy.

The official website of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is sba.gov. SBA is using the third-party site YouTube as a means to connect and engage with members of the public and share information about SBA in a different format that may be useful or interesting.

If you have any questions, concerns or need additional information, please contact SBA by phone or email:
SBA Answer Desk: 1-800-U-ASK-SBA (1-800-827-5722)
Send emails to: answerdesk@sba.gov
TTY/TRS: 711

Because members of the public may comment or post information on this site, SBA cannot attest to the accuracy of information provided by this site or any other linked site. Using this third-party site does not constitute an endorsement by SBA or any of its employees of the sponsors of the site or the information or products presented on the site. Please be aware that the privacy protection provided on social media and third-party sites that are not a part of the sba.gov domain may not be the same as the SBA Privacy Policy. For practical tips about protecting your personal information online, visit OnGuardOnline.gov.

SBA does not use this site to actively seek personally identifiable information (PII). While users may have been required to submit some PII when registering to use this tool, SBA will not solicit or collect this PII. SBA does not have access to, and will not seek, your registration information unless the information used during registration pre-populates a public profile when interacting with SBA, or if the privacy settings you select allow this display. SBA will only collect information posted to this page that is necessary for the proper performance of official agency functions (ex: responding to a request for information).

Please note, information posted on this site is available to the general public. To protect your privacy and the privacy of others, do not include your full name, phone numbers, email addresses, social security number, case numbers or any other sensitive PII in your comments or responses.

Disclaimer

No one other than SBA is allowed to post videos on SBA’s YouTube channel. However, members of the public may post comments to videos posted on SBA’s YouTube channel. Posted comments do not necessarily represent the views of SBA. External, non-SBA links on this site do not constitute official endorsement on behalf of SBA. While we encourage subscribers to share thoughts and opinions on the SBA YouTube channel, we expect that this will be done in a respectful manner.

SBA does not agree with or endorse the comments individuals may post comments to videos on our YouTube channel. Our goal is to share ideas and information with as many individuals as possible and our policy is to accept the majority of comments made to our profile. We ask you remain “on topic” and post comments relevant to SBA and small business in general. SBA does review comments and a comment may be deleted if it contains:

• Hate speech
• Profanity, implied profanity, obscenity or vulgarity
• Sexually oriented content or links
• Defamation to a person or group of people
• Name calling and/or personal attacks
• Comments for which the main purpose is to sell a product or service
• Comments that infringe on copyrights
• Spam comments, such as the same comment posted repeatedly on a profile
• Links to commercial websites
• Other comments that the SBA Social Media Team deems inappropriate

All links posted as comments on SBA videos will be reviewed and may be deleted. Repeated violations of the SBA comment policy may cause the author to be blocked from posting comments on SBA’s YouTube channel.

We understand that social media is a 24/7 medium; however, our moderation capabilities are not. We may not see every inappropriate comment right away, and we are trusting in the maturity of our community to ignore personal attacks and negative speech or respond politely.

Please contact opengov@sba.gov if you have any questions about this comment policy.

The official website of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is sba.gov. SBA is using the third-party site Instagram as a means to connect and engage with members of the public and share information about SBA in a different format that may be useful or interesting.

If you have any questions, concerns or need additional information, please contact SBA by phone or email:
SBA Answer Desk: 1-800-U-ASK-SBA (1-800-827-5722)
Send emails to: answerdesk@sba.gov
TTY/TRS: 711

Because members of the public may comment or post information on this site, SBA cannot attest to the accuracy of information provided by this site or any other linked site. Using this third-party site does not constitute an endorsement by SBA or any of its employees of the sponsors of the site or the information or products presented on the site. Please be aware that the privacy protection provided on social media and third-party sites that are not a part of the sba.gov domain may not be the same as the SBA Privacy Policy. For practical tips about protecting your personal information online, visit OnGuardOnline.gov.

SBA does not use this site to actively seek personally identifiable information (PII). While users may have been required to submit some PII when registering to use this tool, SBA will not solicit or collect this PII. SBA does not have access to, and will not seek, your registration information unless the information used during registration pre-populates a public profile when interacting with SBA, or if the privacy settings you select allow this display. SBA will only collect information posted to this page that is necessary for the proper performance of official agency functions (ex: responding to a request for information).

Please note, information posted on this site is available to the general public. To protect your privacy and the privacy of others, do not include your full name, phone numbers, email addresses, social security number, case numbers or any other sensitive PII in your comments or responses.

Disclaimer

Posted comments and images do not necessarily represent the views of SBA. External, non-SBA links on this site do not constitute official endorsement on behalf of SBA. While we encourage followers to share thoughts and opinions on Instagram, we expect that this will be done in a respectful manner.

SBA does not agree with or endorse the comments individuals may post on our Instagram page. Our goal is to share ideas and information with as many individuals as possible and our policy is to accept the majority of comments made to our profile. We ask you remain “on topic” and post comments relevant to SBA and small business in general. SBA does review comments and a comment, video or photo may be deleted if it contains:

• Hate speech
• Profanity, implied profanity, obscenity or vulgarity
• Sexually oriented content or links
• Defamation to a person or group of people
• Name calling and/or personal attacks
• Comments for which the main purpose is to sell a product or service
• Comments that infringe on copyrights
• Spam comments, such as the same comment posted repeatedly on a profile
• Links to commercial websites
• Other comments that the SBA Social Media team deems inappropriate

All links posted as comments on SBA posts will be reviewed and may be deleted. Repeated violations of the SBA comment policy may cause the author to be blocked from SBA’s Instagram page.

We understand that social media is a 24/7 medium; however, our moderation capabilities are not. We may not see every inappropriate comment right away, and we are trusting in the maturity of our community to ignore personal attacks and negative speech or respond politely.

Please contact opengov@sba.gov if you have any questions about this comment policy.

The official website of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is sba.gov. SBA is using the third-party site LinkedIn as a means to connect and engage with members of the public and share information about SBA in a different format that may be useful or interesting.

If you have any questions, concerns or need additional information, please contact SBA by phone or email:
SBA Answer Desk: 1-800-U-ASK-SBA (1-800-827-5722)
Send emails to: answerdesk@sba.gov

Because members of the public may comment or post information on this site, SBA cannot attest to the accuracy of information provided by this site or any other linked site. Using this third-party site does not constitute an endorsement by SBA or any of its employees of the sponsors of the site or the information or products presented on the site. Please be aware that the privacy protection provided on social media and third-party sites that are not a part of the sba.gov domain may not be the same as the SBA Privacy Policy. For practical tips about protecting your personal information online, visit OnGuardOnline.gov.

SBA does not use this site to actively seek personally identifiable information (PII). While users may have been required to submit some PII when registering to use this tool, SBA will not solicit or collect this PII. SBA does not have access to, and will not seek, your registration information unless the information used during registration pre-populates a public profile when interacting with SBA, or if the privacy settings you select allow this display. SBA will only collect information posted to this page that is necessary for the proper performance of official agency functions (ex: responding to a request for information).

Please note, information posted on this site is available to the general public. To protect your privacy and the privacy of others, do not include your full name, phone numbers, email addresses, social security number, case numbers or any other sensitive PII in your comments or responses.

Disclaimer

Posted comments and images do not necessarily represent the views of SBA. External, non-SBA links on this site do not constitute official endorsement on behalf of SBA. While we encourage followers to share thoughts and opinions on LinkedIn, we expect that this will be done in a respectful manner.

SBA does not agree with or endorse the comments individuals may post on our LinkedIn page. Our goal is to share ideas and information with as many individuals as possible and our policy is to accept the majority of comments made to our profile. We ask you remain “on topic” and post comments relevant to SBA and small business in general. SBA does review comments and a comment, video or photo may be deleted if it contains:

• Hate speech
• Profanity, implied profanity, obscenity or vulgarity
• Sexually oriented content or links
• Defamation to a person or group of people
• Name calling and/or personal attacks
• Comments for which the main purpose is to sell a product or service
• Comments that infringe on copyrights
• Spam comments, such as the same comment posted repeatedly on a profile
• Links to commercial websites
• Other comments that the SBA Social Media team deems inappropriate

All links posted as comments on SBA posts will be reviewed and may be deleted. Repeated violations of the SBA comment policy may cause the author to be blocked from SBA’s LinkedIn page.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) takes seriously our responsibility to protect the public’s information, including financial and personal information, from unwarranted disclosure. However, as an agency with extensive citizen-facing data collection requirements, the risk of disclosure is real.

To help minimize that risk, and in accordance with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Binding Operational Directives (BODs), SBA encourages cybersecurity researchers to report vulnerabilities that they have discovered so that SBA can take appropriate action to fix those vulnerabilities and keep our stakeholders’ information safe.

This notification describes what systems and types of research are covered under this policy, how to report vulnerabilities, and the period we ask cybersecurity researchers to wait before publicly disclosing vulnerabilities.

We ask that cybersecurity researchers:

• Make every effort to avoid privacy violations, degradation of user experience, disruption to production systems, and destruction or manipulation of data
• Only use exploits to the extent necessary to confirm a vulnerability. This includes not using an exploit to compromise or exfiltrate data, establish command line access and/or persistence, or use the exploit to “pivot” to other systems.
• Once it is confirmed that a vulnerability exists or gaining access to any of the sensitive data outlined below, stop the test, and notify us immediately.
• Keep confidential any information about discovered vulnerabilities for a minimum of (90) calendar days after the cybersecurity researcher has notified SBA through the process described herein

This policy applies to the following systems:

• sba.gov and all subdomains
• sbir.gov and all subdomains
• business.gov and all subdomains
• nwbc.gov and all subdomains

Any services not expressly listed above, such as any connected services, are excluded from scope and are not authorized for testing. Vulnerabilities found in non-federal systems from our vendors fall outside of this policy’s scope and should be reported directly to the vendor according to their disclosure policy (if any). If cybersecurity researchers are not sure whether a system or endpoint is in scope or not, contact CISO@sba.gov before starting research.

If the cybersecurity researcher encounters any of the below on our systems while testing within the scope of this policy, stop the test and notify us immediately:

• Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
• Financial information (e.g., credit card or bank account numbers)
• Proprietary information or trade secrets of any party

The following test types are not authorized:

• User interface bugs or typos
• Network denial of service (DoS or DDoS) tests
• Physical access testing (office access, open doors, tailgating)
• Social engineering such as phishing or any other non-technical vulnerability testing

SBA will not pursue civil action for accidental, good faith violations of its policy or initiate a complaint to law enforcement for unintentional violations. SBA considers activities conducted consistent with the policy to constitute “authorized” conduct under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. If legal action is initiated by a third party against a party who complied with the vulnerability disclosure policy, SBA will take steps to make it known, either to the public or to the court, that the individual’s actions were conducted in compliance with the policy.

Disclosure of vulnerabilities is voluntary. In no case shall disclosure of vulnerability information to the SBA constitute a contractual or any other type of relationship with SBA. By submitting a vulnerability, the cybersecurity researcher must expressly acknowledge that, “I have no expectation of payment for these services and I expressly waive any future pay claims against the U.S. government related to the submission.”

The cybersecurity researcher should submit any vulnerability reports to the SBA vulnerability intake portal.

Reports should include the following details:

• Description of the location and potential impact of the vulnerability
• Date and time that the vulnerability test was executed
• A detailed description of the steps required to reproduce the vulnerability. Proof of concept scripts, screenshots, and screen captures are all helpful. Please use extreme care to properly label and protect any exploit code.
• Any technical information and related materials needed to reproduce the issue

Please keep vulnerability reports current by sending any new information to CISO@sba.gov as it becomes available. To the extent possible reports should be encrypted.

After review, SBA may share some vulnerability data with the other federal agencies, as well as any affected vendors or open source projects.

While SBA does accept anonymous submissions, researcher anonymity may limit SBA’s ability to collaborate on remediation efforts.

SBA is committed to continually remediating vulnerabilities and disclosing the details of those vulnerabilities when fixes are implemented. SBA further believes that public disclosure of vulnerabilities is an essential part of the vulnerability disclosure process, and that one of the best ways to make software and applications better is to share such remediations.

However, disclosure of a vulnerability in the absence of a timely remediation increases risk to our stakeholders’ data, and so we ask cybersecurity researchers to refrain from sharing SBA’s vulnerability information with others while we work on our remediation approach.  If others should be informed of the vulnerability before the appropriate remediation is available, please let us know so we can coordinate.

SBA may want to coordinate a public notification with a cybersecurity researcher to be published simultaneously with the remediation, but cybersecurity researchers may self-disclose if they prefer.

SBA does not publish information about a cybersecurity researcher without his/her permission. In some cases, SBA may have sensitive information that must be redacted from public disclosure, so cybersecurity researchers must obtain approval from SBA before self-disclosing. Failing to do so undermines the good faith sentiment that this policy strives to achieve.

Check if the information you need is already available in our list of frequently requested records.  Many other documents and procedures are also available for easy download, such as:

• SBA’s headquarters and field offices
• SBA procedures and formal guidance
• Final decisions in appeals or administrative cases
• Select program and loan data
• SBA documents and news releases
• OHA PPP Appeal Decisions cited in Frequently Asked Questions for PPP Borrowers and Lenders

If you need to ask for records under the FOIA, SBA has set up a dedicated site to walk you through the process. On this site, you can:

• Understand what you need to file a request, reasons for non-disclosure, fees, and response times
• Learn what information SBA can and cannot share under the FOIA

If you still have questions or would like more information, contact us by emailing FOIA@sba.gov. You can also write to our office at:

Chief, Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts Office
U.S. Small Business Administration
409 3rd St. SW, 8th floor
Washington, DC 20416